


Midwest Blues

by SamuraiKurai



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Band Fic, Faerghus (Fire Emblem), Music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamuraiKurai/pseuds/SamuraiKurai
Summary: The Faerghus Four, or the Michigan Four in this world, have all taken off to become a touring band together in their post college days. Their friends, lovers, ex lovers, and everything in between, keep up with them and their antics, while they tour the midwest as a punk band and bring angst to all of the dive bars and basements, from Michigan to Indianapolis to Ohio.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Dorothea Arnault & Sylvain Jose Gautier
Kudos: 9





	1. Headliner

Felix watched his breath dissolve into the frigid Chicago air, headphones blasting some pop punk record he’d grown attached to over the past month, as the rest of the band loaded in their gear from their shitty rundown blue van. Dimitri was chatting with the owner of the venue, trying to sort out something about the drumset, while Sylvain was sitting on the curb, deep into his twitter feed. He popped one earbud out, turning his attention to Ingrid as she walked up to him, sighing dramatically.

“Well, most of our shit is in now. We’re not on for another hour, and Dimitri broke one of the cymbals, but the venue has a spare set so we should be fine.”

Felix took out his pack of cigarettes, lighting one and putting it between his lips, taking a drag before responding.

“So we’re alright then? Didn’t Sylvain break a string?”

“Yeah but he said he can play fine without it, and I think the opening band has a spare guitar for him to borrow if he can’t.”

Felix nodded at her and took another drag, watching the smoke float through the air and obscure the lights in the alleyway they were currently in.

“Cool, cool. Did Caspar get the merch table set up?”

She nods. “Yup, yup, he’s got it all ready to go. I think Petra is here too, she might take some pictures for us.”

“Oh yeah she lives here now, huh? Maybe I should go say hi.” He considers it for a minute, and then shrugs and takes a longer drag this time.

Petra walked into the small backroom, settled at the end of the bar, to a relatively large crowd sipping at their drinks and chatting with one another while her friends set up on the large stage on the opposite wall. Seeing Caspar hanging out behind a plastic table adorned with various shirts of different designs, she maneuvered her way through the crowd and placed herself in front of him. Seeing her, Caspar smiled wide and walked around the table to hug her. “Petra! I’m so glad you came!” He exclaimed, his usual happy go lucky attitude here in spades. “Caspar, hey! I thought you were running merch for them. What’s the spread this tour?” Caspar smiled again and stepped back around the table, motioning his arms over the table of band shirts.

“I’m so glad you asked! We actually got Lindhart to make some of these designs, him and Bernie collaborated on this one right….here.” He pulled out a black shirt, adorned with a white lion head, a sword going from its neck through its eye, with the words “Swords and Stones” placed beneath it. “Wow, this is really cool! How much?” Petra asked, already taking out her wallet. “We’re running it at twenty five but I’ll happily go to twenty for you, Petra!” Caspar said, smiling wide again. She pulled a twenty dollar bill out, along with a ten, and passed it to him. “You know I won’t accept that. Tell Dimitri to get a damn haircut with that cash.” She said, laughing, then taking her shirt and draping it over her shoulder, finding a seat in the back corner to watch the stage from. Caspar opened the small case they used for cash and placed the money in it, before putting it back down below the table and taking a swig of his beer and settling into the plastic folding chair behind him.

As the rest of the crowd settled in and the lights got lower, the band began moving onto the stage. First, Felix, blue hair thrown back into a ponytail, sporting some local band merch and tight jeans, standing before the microphone at the tip of the stage. Then, Dimitri, sitting behind the drumset placed at the back, long blonde hair not tied up at all. Sylvain, picking up his bass and starting to tune it. And last, Ingrid, picking up her guitar and tuning it as well, messing around with her pedalboard beneath her feet as well.

Felix, getting the mic tested and ready to go after a few minutes, finally spoke up.

“Hey everyone.” He said quietly, getting some cheers in response. “We’re Swords and Stones, from Michigan. Uhh…” He paused, kind of awkwardly for a moment, looking over to Sylvain and Ingrid for confirmation that the tuning was good to go, then nodded. “Hope you enjoy.”

A barrage of loud guitar riffs and violent drum fills broke through the quiet room, the front portion of the crowd immediately jumping and bumping into one another, creating a decent sized mosh pit to the aggressively angsty punk blasting through the speaker system. The floor rocked with every riff, the crowd screaming along to the lyrics Felix yelled into the microphone, Dimitri whipped his hair to and fro in rhythm with his fast drum beats. Everyone was losing themselves to the music, freed temporarily of their daily worries and living currently only in that moment. And in the center of the pit, Petra smiled and stayed off her feet, shoving the people in front of her and being shoved back, lost completely to the wonder of the music.

Back in the cold winter air of the Chicago suburb they were in, Felix put another smoke in between his lips and lit it as the rest of the band filed out of the back exit. They were mostly loaded back in now, only about an hour after the gig had ended, and the rest of the band was either at the bar or in the van. Petra’s eyes met Felix as she left the bar, bounding over to him.

“Felix! Long time no see!” She said with a smile.

“Petra. Hey. How’s the Chicago life treating you?”

She shrugged and looked down at her feet. “Oh, you know, just working and paying the bills. How about you? I know you’ve still got a few stops left.”

“Oh yeah, this is the first of many. We’re headed over to Davenport after this, then to Indianapolis, then Columbus. So on, so on.” 

“Sounds busy...I don’t know how you guys do it.”

“Never a dull moment, I guess.”

There was a long silence before the next time Petra spoke, as Felix sucked on his fourth cigarette of the evening.

“How’s Sylvain?”

Felix grimaced a bit, then shrugged. “Ah, you know. He’s been a bit out of sorts since Dorothea but he’s alright. How’s she? You guys live together now, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! She’s great! Got a new job as a secretary, supposedly makes a lot of money…” Petra paused again, then half mumbled “Got a new boyfriend too….”

Felix grimaced again. “Don’t tell him. He doesn’t need that.”

Petra nodded, then got quiet again. “Well, I’m gonna head out, got work tomorrow. Stay in touch, Felix.” He gave a non committal nod, then tossed the butt of his cigarette into the street and hopped into the van.

Dimitri was sprawled out across the backseat, on his way to sleep. Caspar was finishing up loading in the rest of the merch. Sylvain was in the front seat, on his phone again, while Ingrid was just leaving the bar, a six pack of beer in hand. Felix sat in the driver seat and waited for her to get in before revving up the engine. “Everyone ready?” Getting a variety of answers he didn’t really listen to, he took off into the Chicago night, heading only a small ways away to Davenport.


	2. Sun and Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix, convinced by Dimitri to call Annette, has a heartfelt discussion with her that lifts his spirits.

“Fuck me, it’s too cold out here.” Dimitri, stepping out of the AirBnB they’d rented out in Davenport for the night. Felix, midway through yet another smoke, looked over at him. “Stay inside then.” Dimitri scoffed. “Please, like I’d let you mope around out here alone. Give me a smoke.” Felix obliged, handing him a cigarette from his now half empty pack. “We did good out there, huh?” “Yeah, all things considered. Looked pretty grim there for a second, with your busted drumset and Sylvain’s guitar.” “Ah, we always pull through. Caspar made a lot tonight. We should come to Chicago more often.” Felix scoffed a bit. “No thanks. Seeing Petra again was too weird.” Dimitri laughed a bit, then got quiet. “She still sour at us? For that whole thing?” “Nah, she’s cool. She lives with Dorothea now. Figured we ought to keep that part a secret from Syl.” Dimitri nodded. “Good idea.” They both took a drag from their cigarettes, getting a bit quieter. “Dedue is supposed to meet us tomorrow, yeah?” “Yeah, he wanted to be here from the start but work wouldn’t let him off the hook. But he’s down from here on to the end.” Felix nodded. “That’s good, you always perk up when he’s around.” “Well, duh, he’s been my right hand man for years. But all of you are my friends.” Felix scoffed again. “Quit being so sappy. I’m not drunk enough for that talk.” Dimitri laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re too cool for your own good, Felix. Go call Annette, I’m sure she wants to hear your voice.” Felix made a fake gagging motion as Dimitri went back inside, but quickly tore his phone out of his pocket and called Annette. Two rings, then an answer.

“Felix?”

“Hey sweetheart. Figured I’d call and let you know we’re in Davenport.”

“Oh, that’s good. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re good. I’m good.” He paused, then took a much longer drag on his cigarette. “I uh, miss you.” He managed to stumble over the words enough to make them genuine. He could hear the smile develop as Annette replied

“Oh, Felix...I miss you too. Don’t feel bad, okay? I knew what I was getting into with your band. We’ll spend lots of time together when you get back.”

He could feel his chest tighten at the thought of seeing her again, something adjacent to butterflies find their way into his stomach.

“Y..Yeah. Yeah, okay. I miss you.” He shook his head. “I already said that. Sorry.”

She laughed into the phone. “Felix, it’s alright. I miss you too. Maybe this’ll make you feel better.” She paused, the sound of something ruffling in the background, before she spoke again.

“I’m gonna be at the gig in Indianapolis.” She said matter-of-factly. Felix, suddenly flustered at the thought of seeing her so soon again, nearly dropped his cigarette.

“O-Oh, uh, h-how? I mean, I’m ecstatic, I promise. How?” He stumbled over every word this time, not keeping up his usual demeanor.

“Mercedes has a friend who lives there, uh, Constance? I think? So I’m gonna drive up there on my weekend and come see you!”

Felix smiled, subconsciously of course. “Oh, yeah, I know Constance. She follows us on twitter, makes art for us sometimes. She’s nice. I’m...I’m really happy, Annette. I’m glad I get to see you so soon again.”

“I am too, babe. I gotta get to sleep for work, but call me tomorrow night too. And I’ll see you on Friday.”

“Okay, yeah, yeah that sounds great. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He lowered the phone, taking another drag, but smiling as he exhaled this time. A few more drags, and he tossed the butt into the ashtray on the porch, before opening the front door and going inside. Sylvain and Ingrid were already asleep on the couch, but Dimitri and Caspar were drinking at the kitchen table.

“You look happy.” Caspar teased the second Felix stepped in through the door. “Shut up.” Felix sat down at the table, popping the cap off a beer.

“Told you to call her.” Dimitri teased again. “Shut up, both of you.” He looked away from their eyes shyly. “She’s coming to Indi on Friday.” Caspar let out a loud cheer, then looked over at the couch to make sure he didn’t wake anyone. “Hey! There we go!” “Yeah, yeah, quiet down. How much did we make off merch?”

Caspar opened up their box of cash and sorted through it. “Around 300, easily enough to cover venue fees and food for a while. Gas too.” Dimitri laid back in his chair, smiling. “Nice. Maybe we can get Wendy’s instead of McDonalds tomorrow?” Felix let out a chuckle and nodded. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, we’re not rich.” Caspar smiled and got up, elbowing Felix on the shoulder. “Not yet, eh?” Felix smiled a bit in return, then got up himself and settled into the makeshift mattress they’d made on the floor. Downing the rest of his beer, he laid his head down and thought over the night, seeing the faces of the crowd smiling and screaming back at him, seeing Petra lose herself in the pit, seeing Sylvain even crack a smile at him when they played their duo guitar riff together. Maybe this was more sustainable than his dad thought.

Maybe he was happy.

When the sun peeked in through the blinds, it struck Sylvain directly in his eyes, waking him before the rest of the band. He laid there for a second, then got off the couch and went to the kitchen, grabbing one of the microwave breakfast meals he’d bought the night before. Stuffing it in the microwave and letting it run, he took out his phone, looking over the same conversation he’s looked over the past month or so. Dorothea saying she wasn’t sure if they’d work out, him asking to see her, the usual. Every other night he found himself looking over this conversation, wondering what he could’ve said differently, wondering if it was a bad idea to text her again (it was), but it never got him anywhere. Just more things to be sad about. The microwave went off, before he could get it out at 0:01, so it loudly beeped, disturbing the sleep of one or two of the others. It was about time to wake up and get moving anyway.

Caspar was the first to come over to the kitchen.

“Hey, Syl. Anything left in that bag? I’m kinda hungry."

“Yeah, there’s a gas station breakfast sandwich from last night.”

“Good enough.” Caspar shrugged, digging into the bag, as the others slowly came to and walked over to the kitchen.

“Alright, gang, let’s get some food in us and hit the road. Gotta be in central Davenport by three for soundcheck.” Felix spoke up, yawning halfway through that sentence.

“Kind of an early gig, isn’t it?” Ingrid said, also yawning.

“Yeah, a little, but we’ve got a hell of a trip after.”

“Oh yeah, Indi, right?” Caspar grinned and tapped Ingrid on the shoulder. “Felix’s love is coming to the gig tomorrow.”

Ingrid’s eyes widened and she smiled a large, wide smile. “Felix! Yes!! I’m so happy for you!!”

Felix let out a noise somewhere between an Ugh and a scoff. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let’s go already.” He picked up his gear and took off out the door, hoping they’d drop it and not force him to be any sappier than he already had been feeling.

They followed out shortly after, gear in hand, loading up the van again, as Felix hopped into the driver’s seat and put a cigarette between his lips, lighting it, before revving up the engine. Dimitri hopped into the passenger’s side this time, plugging his phone into the aux and turning on a record he and Felix loved dearly, Marietta’s Summer Death.

A record that soundtracked the entire summer the four of them had met back up for the first time since college, hanging out in Felix’s shitty Michigan apartment. The summer all of them had decided to start Sword and Stones, the summer Sylvain got together with Dorothea. A summer soaked in nostalgia and longing for “better days”, whatever that meant.


End file.
